That which is distracting me from posting

I'll talk about olive oil again, soon. I'm getting back into the swing of working again after my beautiful daughter was born. Olive oil research will show up again as well.

 

SUD-OUEST

SUD-OUEST

Provinces, departements,
Regions, gouvernements,
Obscure by military and diplomatic might
The common thread of butcher's twine holding tight
A cassoulet's land through gastronomic commonalities

From Perigord to Languedoc,
Held together by goose and duck,
Fancied with truffles, foie gras, piment d'espelette,
Preserved and unified by CONFIT, they remain unsplit,
The French Southwest, the sobriquet--Guyenne's and Gascony's

-----------------

Come join me as I explore that piece of France from which 3/4 or more of Zingerman's French products originate, the Greater French Southwest. We'll speak of Basque, Bearn and Bordelais, of Agenais and Perigord, of Quercy and Limousin, of Auvergne, Rouergue and Languedoc and what ties them together, tasting ingredients as we explore.

We'll taste vinegars, spices, olive and walnut oils, my favorite line of mustards, olives, pates, cassoulet, and more.

Hope to see you there. Tell people about it. Sign up in advance.

Tasting the Ingredients of the French Southwest
Thursday, October 18,
422 Detroit St.
Upstairs, Next Door,
$20 in advance,
$25 at the door,
7-9 PM

Call (734)663-3400 to reserve a spot

Eat fearlessly,
Solomon

My first media mention

A litle break from my paternity leave to say Woo hoo! My first mention in a publication not published by Zingerman's. Small mention, but you've got to start somewhere.

Business Week SmallBiz, August/September 2007 -- Mmm…Sour Grapes: "When tasting at home, use a small plastic cup or spoon. DiPalo suggests drinking water and eating a breadstick between spoonfuls. Better, visit a gourmet store that has bottles open for customers to sample. Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Mich., stocks 25 vinegar selections, all available for tasting. Vinegar lovers say part of the fun is discovering a new favorite, such as the Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar preferred by Zingerman's retail sales taster Solomon James, or Minus 8, an ice wine vinegar that Patrick Feury, executive chef at the Berwyn (Pa.) restaurant Nectar, uses in an Asian-inspired tuna dish. Of course, you don't need to be a chef to find your own favorite—just willing to take a new look down the specialty foods aisle."

New daughter - pause in new posts

My new daughter was born a week ago, Delilah Jack James, at 7 pounds, 12.5 ounces, 12 inches long. She's amazing and wonderful and occupying my paternal leave time with pleasure. I'll refocus on this blog in a week or two.

Innovation at Google - must watch

This is a 50 minute presentation with little happening except one guy standing up and talking about how to innovate... and I was enthralled through the entire discussion--watched the whole 50 minutes, might watch it again sometime.

I put this here for two reasons: one, I think the subject is important and well spoken and the more people who actually see this (especially who work with or near me) the better; two, it's a model for how to engage an audience for 50 straight minutes of speaking, which I need to study since keeping a room engaged for 90 minutes is what I do for a living and intend to expand upon doing for a living. My first two takes are that a person speaking passionately about something they are passionate about draws an audience into the presentation and that having something interesting to say always helps. Be alive and have something interesting to say.

INTERNATIONAL OLIVE COUNCIL (IOC) and CALIFORNIA TRADE STANDARDS for OLIVE OIL

This paper is by Paul Vossen. This man has made my olive oil studies so rich.

INTERNATIONAL OLIVE COUNCIL (IOC) and CALIFORNIA TRADE STANDARDS for OLIVE OIL

Note about shelf life of olive oil in clear glass

I love the University of California at Davis.... If I ever get a graduate degree, I know where I'm most interested in going.

"Oils in clear glass exposed to light at room temperature can go flat in two months and rancid shortly thereafter."

Olive Oil Shop In Saugatuck

While on vacation in Saugatuck, Michigan, I ran across this store which sells olive oil. They present about half a dozen infused oils & half a dozen varietal oils. It's doing all the right things in regard to showing respect for the product. 2 things struck me about it. First, that no bread or other medium was used to taste the oil. Nothing came between me & the oil except a little 1/2 oz. paper cup I could help myself to. Second, they labeled their oils with the variety, the country of origin, the acidity level, and the taste description, nothing else. I hope it works well for them, because it's how olive oil deserves to be presented. I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts.

Oh, and every oil I tasted was high quality--higher quality than a similar style shop opposite Murray's Cheese in NYC.

I wonder how many of these shops are starting to pop up around the country?

The proliferation of olive oil awards

This is a topic that I'll explore as time goes on. The page this links to speaks to a few of the "pay for participation" awards.

Information about proliferation of olive oil awards:
"Olive Oil Producers are eager to win tasting competitions and achieve official certification for their oil. The awards hopefully translate into a medal or seal on the label, recognition for a superior product with a commensurate increase in sales. But there has been a proliferation of medals and seals available and they aren’t all created equally. The ones that industry players covet and respect may not mean much to consumers. Other awards which are promoted with a sophisticated media campaign funded by royalties from agribusiness giants may get more attention. More seals may lead to consumer confusion, disinterest or distrust.

Olive Oil producers in California generally respect the results of the L.A. County Fair judging and the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) seal as legitimate indicators of quality. That can’t be said for the ACI awards described above.

The problem is the awards are founded on a flawed premise. The insinuation is that there is an “institute” of chefs who cheerfully judge products which have not even asked to be judged. In reality the ACI is a business that is in the business of awarding medals and receiving money for it. Their process is designed to maximize royalty income, not choose the best oil. It is not surprising that none of the oils chosen for judging have ever won an award in a more rigorous venue...."

Best olive oil site I've read today

This person has only been writing since January of 2007 on this blog, and has a crazy grammar which I assume comes from a non-native relationship to English (fun to read, though). However warped the man's writing is (and I mean that in a good way), he does know about olive oil, and is on his way to becoming a professional taster certified by the International Olive Oil Council (more properly called the International Olive Council since 2006).


Tea, Olive oil and other great tastes

Chemistry and fraudulent impurities of honey

An interesting article on the creation of honey, its chemistry, and how to test it for fraudulent impurities. This is a PDF file. The author seems to be a chemist or physicist at Hill Agriculture Research and Extension Centre in Bajaura, India.

Article from Science Tech Entrepreneur April 2007

Gordon Ramsey Scrambled Eggs Breakfast

Eggs are one of the best vehicles to taste olive oils with, and this looks like a great way of preparing eggs. The choice of olive oil drizzled on the bread in this video would completely alter the experience of the final dish (assuming a high-quality oil was used, they would all be good).

Australian Olive and Olive Oil Information

This is a summary of what's available about Australian olive oil from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation of the Australian government. On this same site, for those interested in Wattle seed info, there are many articles on Australian bushfoods and wattle seed.

1.1 New Plant Products Research Reports

Quality Enhancement of Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oils (06/135 UCS-33A)
- Full report (700k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (24k)

The Natural Chemistry of Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (06/132 DAN-239A)
- Full report (1meg) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8k)

Tasting and Classifying Virgin Olive Oil - An international course for panel supervisors 12 – 16 December 2005 at University of Imperia, Italy (06/070 TA 056-19) - Full report (300k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8k)

Olive Variety Regional Performance Study (05-160 Appendix to Final Report SAR-47A)
Full report (720k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (36k)

National Olive Variety Assessment – (NOVA) – Stage 2 (05/155 SAR-47A)
Full report (600k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (36k)

From Planting to Harvest — A study of water requirements of olives, from planting to first commercial harvest (05/039 DEB-2A)
Full report (131k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Sustainable Pest and Disease Management in Australian Olive Production (05/080 UWS-17A)
Full report (360k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive Harvest - Harvest timing for optimal olive oil quality (05/013 RIRDC DAN-197A)
Full report (460k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

The Olive Industry– An environmental management systems framework (04/057 RIRDC NEL-1A)
Full report (295Kb) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Wild olive selection for quality oil production (04/101 UA-54A)
Full report (1.3megs) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive water use and yield - monitoring the relationship (03/048 UA-47A)
- Full report 427k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

NOVA – the National Olive Variety Assessment Project (03/054 SAR-23A)
- Full report 174k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Executive Summary (8 kb)

Olive Variety Assessment for Subtropical Summer Rainfall Regions (03/021 OAP-1A)
- Full report (260k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)

Olive Oil Yield, Quality and Cultivar Identification (01/23 UCS-19A)
- Full report (104k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)

R&D Plan for the Australian Olive Industry 2003-2008 (02/119 AOL-6A)
- Full report (128k) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report (8 kb)
You can also read this report online (www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/olive5yr.htm)

Regional Australian Olive Oil Processing Plants (GGO 1A 00/187)
- Full report (337 kbs) is a PDF file & needs Acrobat Reader || Summary Report 14 kb)

Olive Oil Forums - Powered by vBulletin

The things I do not yet know about olive oil are unimaginably large. I had no idea this existed. I'm upset that nothing I've ever visited has pushed me toward this before and I had to stumble onto it through a Google search for "by Paul Vossen" ... (sigh)

Olive Oil Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Olive Cultivars - Australia

Olive Cultivars in Australia, with Frantoio as an example of the depth of explanation:

"The following list is by no means a comprehensive guide to all olive cultivars available in Australia. However, it does cover all those cultivars which have been proven in Australian, and in many cases international, trials. Many other cultivars are currently under trial in Australia, however, their commercial viability is not yet known. For information on other available cultivars, please contact Australis Plants.

FRANTOIO

Other names - (Also grown in Australia under the name Paragon) Frantoiano, Correggiola, Correggiolo, Razzo, Gentile (These five are considered to be of the same 'family' or 'varietal population' as Frantoio due to their extremely similar biological and organoleptic characteristics and their traditional region in central Italy. The Frantoio grown by Olives Australia have been DNA tested and match the Frantoio grown in Tuscany, Italy. Please see Issue 10 of the Australian Olive Grower journal.

General - Fruit is small in size, ripens late in the season, and has a very high oil content. The flesh to pit ratio is average. Frantoio produces regular heavy crops. Although the tree has medium to high vigour, the mature tree is generally low at about 8 metres. Frantoio is said to be the benchmark for olive oil in Italy. The cultivar has an expansive crown and long pendulous fruiting branches. It is generally said to be self fertilising however a number of growers use pollinators.

Climatic Considerations - Presently, Frantoio is grown mainly in the Tuscany region of central Italy. However, it has proven itself to be extremely adaptable to diverse and harsh climatic conditions in other areas while still giving an excellent crop. It is very resistant to extremes in cold. In fact, we saw a number of Frantoio orchards under up to 600mm of snow during December 1995. The snow only remained on the trees for two days which did not damage the actual biological structure of the leaves and bark; however, due to the weight of the snow, a number of primary branches were damaged which will reduce the crop in the following season. It should be noted though, that any fruit which was still left on the trees during these days of snow was damaged by the cold and would produce a poorer quality oil. Many Frantoio were planted in Tuscany in the mid eighties to replace trees which were killed during the 1985 freeze.

Commercial Viability - Gives an excellent quality oil in great quantities. The fresh oil is generally quite strong/bitter and is therefore used widely as a blending oil to increase the flavour of less distinct cultivars. Its excellent balance of acids allows the oil to be kept for up to two years. Frantoio is the most productive cultivar in central Italy. A single Australian test has shown that the acidity of oil taken from Correggiola increases as the season progresses. If further trials show this to be true, it can be easily overcome by picking the fruit during the first two months of the harvesting period rather than later in the season.

Pests and Disease - Sensitive to peacock spot (Cycloconium oleaginum or Spilocaea oleaginea).

Pollinators - A number of Italian growers say that planting an occasional Pendulina cultivar may increase crops by up to 10%. If a grower chooses to plant Pendulina for cross-pollination, 5-10% of the total orchard's trees as Pendulina is sufficient.

Three new commercial olive groves in Britain!

In that part of the world that doesn't deny global warming, for example, Britain:

Faced with rising temperatures, farmers have to plan tree crops that can withstand a hotter climate. Already, the UK growing season has lengthened by about a month since 1900. By mid-century, maximum temperatures in southern counties will break through the 40C (104F) level, and by 2080, the South East could be as hot as Bordeaux is now.

With that change in focus, Britain is thinking about olives.

Britain warms to the taste for home-grown olives-News-Weather-TimesOnline:

The olive trees were imported from Tuscany, where they experience frost and snow in winter and high temperatures in summer. Drainage on the heavy Devon soil had to be improved, because olive trees are used to growing in thin, rocky soils. But with the rapidly warming climate, it is hoped the first commercial British olive crop will be harvested in a few years’ time.

Perhaps even more surprising, two commercial olive groves have been planted much further north, in Wales and Shropshire. Three hundred Italian olive trees were planted at Wroxeter Roman Vineyard, near Shrewsbury, and the first Welsh olive grove was begun in Anglesey.

Hat tip to The Foodie List for pointing me to this

Nearly 30% of entrys in LA Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition not Extra Virgin

The Sacramento Bee

Claims of oil fraud are tough to validate, since there's no industrywide testing program. But impostors show up even in prestigious competitions, said Darrell Corti, who runs Corti Brothers Market in Sacramento and is the chief judge of the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, the nation's biggest olive oil event.

In this year's contest, held last week, 118 of the 396 entrants didn't meet the extra-virgin grade's basic standards, Corti said.

Claudio Peri calls for higher quality designation than "extra virgin" for olive oil in California

The Sacramento Bee

Will American consumers pay more for olive oil that claims to be even more pristine than extra-virgin? Will they even be able to tell the difference?

With the value of the "extra-virgin" designation diluted by fraud and dozens of new California labels looking for a way to stand out in a tight market, some in the olive-oil business think it's time for a higher standard.

This week, Claudio Peri, a food science professor at the University of Milan and the founder of a movement he calls "Beyond Extra Virgin," is at the University of California, Davis, to sell his idea to California's emerging olive oil industry. A two-day conference wraps up today.

The problem, say Peri and many in the California olive oil industry, is that much -- if not most -- of the extra-virgin oil on the U.S. market doesn't deserve the label. Extra-virgin oil requires a strict harvest and processing regimen that yields certain flavor qualities recognizable to expert tasters. Many of the major label extra-virgin brands don't make the cut, they say.

"The globalization of the olive oil industry is homogenizing the market. It really depletes the average quality," said Peri, 69, in an interview Tuesday.

...

Extra-virgin or not, olive oil has become a hot item in U.S. supermarkets, with sales volume doubling from 1996 to 2006, to roughly 60 million gallons. The average American consumes just under a quart of olive oil a year; consumption in several Mediterranean countries is more than 12 times greater.

...

This year, the state's olive oil production is expected to be as much as 700,000 gallons, up nearly threefold since 2001.

Olive Oil Bar

Olive Oil Bar, originally uploaded by hyku.

Interesting setup... I'll have to think about this.

Olive Oil Table Spread - untested

I've never thought of this before, but I want to experiment with it... and I'm willing to ignore the "light-flavored" suggestion because I have access to some damn flavorful butter. Maybe a nice goat butter and a peppery, fruity olive oil.

Olive Oil Table Spread:

"500g (2 cups) of butter
1.5 cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (Make sure it is fairly light-flavored oil, otherwise the oil will overwhelm the butter taste)

Beat the butter in a food processor or Mixmaster until softened, then gradually add the olive oil.
When it is all completely blended, it will be quite pourable.

I pour it into individual containers and put lids on, then store them in the fridge.

When cold it is quite hard."